By Jennifer Griswol
The Oklahoman

Norman Chamber of Commerce is relaunching a program that matches businesses with Norman schools to form community partnerships.

Champions for Education encourages Norman business leaders to get involved in the community by working in local schools. The program was formerly known as Partners in Education.

Chamber officials are soliciting businesses to participate in the program, said Scott Christian , director of member services and sales. Chamber officials want to have partnerships in place by the time school starts in August.

There are 45 businesses signed up for the program. An additional 20 to 30 businesses are needed so there are a minimum of two or three partners for every Norman school.

"The goal of the program is to see a school change, a community change and ultimately lives change, one life at a time,” Christian said.

During a kick-off meeting earlier this month, school leaders gathered with the business community to brainstorm ways businesses could help.

The schools need people to come in and be mentors, read to students, be test monitors or guest speakers, Christian said.

"These are things that don’t cost a business anything. Not everybody has money to give right now, but time is something almost everyone has to give,” he said.

It takes a community working together to educate a child, said Nick Migliorino, director of secondary education for the school district.

Partners in Education hadn’t been emphasized for several years, said Migliorino, who also serves on the chamber’s education committee. Although some businesses have kept up their partnerships, others have broken down as staff at the schools and businesses changed over the years.

Migliorino hopes the reorganization will help revitalize the program.

"We’re blessed in this community to have so many people who want to help,” he said. "Programs like this make a great place like Norman even better.”